Posters

Non-invasive OCT angiography evaluation of the effect of routine clear cornea cataract surgery to optic nerve and macula blood flow

Poster Details

First Author: A. Kanellopoulos GREECE

Co Author(s):                        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To evaluate the effect of small-incision clear-cornea cataract surgery on optic nerve and macula blood flow studied with OCT Angiography and potentially screen for subclinical Irvine-Gass syndrome.

Setting:

The LaserVision.gr Clinical and Research Eye Institute, Athens, Greece

Methods:

phacoemulsification, 48 femtosecond laser-assisted (LenSx, Alcon, Ft. Worth, TX) capsulotomy and lens fragmentation. We evaluated visual acuity, refraction, keratometry, tomography, pachymetry, endothelial cell counts, and intraocular pressure. AngioVue Imaging System (Optovue, Fremont, CA).images of the optic nerve and macula were obtained preoperatively, at day-1, week-1 and week-4. The Angioview images were obtained at 70 kHz A-scans-per-second using the SSADA algorithm, constructing angiography of the retinal and choroidal microvasculature, with the ability to isolate vasculature and circulation in individual layers of customized height in the retina and choroid.

Results:

In 61/85 cases preoperative pictures were of adequate quality to be analyzed and compared to postoperative, mainly due to cataract-related media opacity. Macula blood flow density change was significant in 6 cases, 4 of which were clinically labeled as macula edema, resolving at 3 months with prolonged topical conrticosteroid use. This applies for all four levels studied: superficial capillary, deep capillary, outer retina, choriocapillary layers, suggesting transient Irvin-Gass syndrome. There was no statistical difference in the findings between the manual vs femto-assisted subgroups.

Conclusions:

OCT angiography is a novel, non-invasive objective technique in evaluating potential optic nerve and or macula microvascular changes. Transient vascular flow pathology was evident in uneventful clear cornea cataract surgery with this non-invasive vascular flow study even in cases without any other clinical and/OCT findings. These data may augment the post-operative care and anti-inflammatory regimen chosen and used as long as its duration of administration.

Financial Disclosure:

NONE